Kagiso Rabada: World Cricket's Bowler of the Month, October 2015

There were a number of contenders for October's Bowler of the Month. Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath took 15 wickets in two Tests against the West Indies. This form is expected from Herath, though, who has had an outstanding year. He has taken 33 wickets in eight Tests at an average of 32.9 to date.

Wahab Riaz devastated England's batting lineup, taking eight wickets in two Tests at an average of 36.12 and 12 wickets overall for the month at an average of 32.83.

Riaz has undergone a sort of revival recently. He’s an exciting bowler who always seems to get something out of pitches on which nobody else can manage anything. Although his average for the year—33.35—is a bit on the high side, it’s his ability to break partnerships that sets him apart from his peers.

Then there was Yasir Shah. He had a decent run with eight wickets in the solitary Test he played at an average of 22.50. Shah was also responsible for the final wicket against England, which helped Pakistan to a Test victory.

Shah sits second on the list of leading Test wicket-takers for 2015 with 42 wickets in six Tests at an average of 23.42. Most notably, he has only played half the amount of Tests leading wicket-taker Stuart Broad has. Shah only made his Test debut last year, but he has been a revelation.

But there was one bowler who clearly stood out above everyone else in October, and that is South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada.

The youngster was a star during South Africa’s one-day series against India and caught everyone’s attention. Every once in a while, a bowler comes along who gets everyone excited, and Rabada has certainly done that.

With 10 wickets at an average of 24.10 and an economy rate of 5.12, the 20-year-old with just 10 ODI caps to his name led from the front.

Rabada does have the luxury of being backed up by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, but the latter played in just three of those five ODIs. In Morkel's absence, Rabada flourished and took to the senior role like it was the most natural thing to do.

On wickets that were very batsmen friendly, he went wicketless just once in October. In South Africa's third ODI, in which the speedster failed to pick up a wicket, he kept things tidy, conceding just 39 runs while Morkel picked up four wickets.

Rabada’s greatest strength lies in his ability to control his deliveries. He generates some really good speeds, often hitting the 150 km/h mark, but that means nothing if you can’t control where those deliveries are going.

Rabada does so seemingly with ease. From a brutal bouncer to toe-crushing yorker, his arsenal is filled with many tricks.

This maturity beyond his years led to ex-South Africa bowling coach Allan Donald calling him a “thoroughbred." He is only 20 years old and, if he is managed properly, should have a long career ahead of him.

The biggest challenge to his career is the fact he has scoliosis. Although he is sure that with treatment and therapy he’ll have a long career—he has been seeing a specialist since he was very young—South Africa should be careful not to overplay him.

All information has been obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.